Cromwell’s casino floor officially open for business

A couple plays an electronic craps machine during the opening of the casino floor at the Cromwell, formerly Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon, on the Las Vegas Strip and Flamingo Avenue, Monday, April 21, 2014.

Some of the hotel’s 188 rooms also are open to “invited guests,” said Haas, who could not confirm exactly how many rooms are now available. She said booking for all rooms starts May 21.

The 12-story resort, dwarfed by neighbors the Flamingo, Caesars Palace and the Bellagio, will feature a rooftop pool, Drai’s day and nightclubs, and celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis’ first restaurant, Giada’s.

The clubs and restaurants are expected to open Memorial Day weekend, when the whole resort opens, Haas said.

Caesars shuttered the property, then known as Bill’s Gamblin’ Hall & Saloon, an Old West-style hotel, in February 2013, with plans to renovate and rebrand it.

The Las Vegas-based casino giant initially teamed with Gansevoort Hotel Group, of New York, to reopen Bill’s as the Gansevoort, but Caesars cut ties with the company after facing scrutiny by Massachusetts gambling regulators in a separate deal.

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission raised questions about Caesars’ licensing agreement with a subsidiary of Gansevoort, saying a Gansevoort investor had been under scrutiny, though not charged, over alleged ties to Russian organized crime.

Caesars unveiled plans for the Cromwell in January. The renovation is costing $185 million.

Visitor forecast for Las Vegas this weekend:

* The Guest Gauge is not a scientific measurement and should only be read as an estimate of weekend crowds in Las Vegas. An indication of "very slow" corresponds with the lowest typical occupancy rate for rooms in Las Vegas.